EMERALD ISLE — Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard Station here rescued three men about 6 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a call their sailboat run aground in Bogue Inlet and was taking on water.

According to Boatswains Mate 2 Matt Kinsman, the station received a report about 5:50 p.m. Wednesday that a 26-foot sailboat with three people on aboard was aground in Bogue Inlet and getting beaten by the waves.

“The vessel was about 400 yards off the inlet when we reached it,” he said.

He said the sailboat left Morehead City in route to Myrtle Beach, S.C. The crew took the offshore route south and decided to come in Bogue Inlet for the evening.

The crew was using an old chart to navigate the inlet. They thought they were going through a channel, but instead ran their sailboat aground.

Mr. Kinsman said two Coast Guard rescue boats, a 45-footer and 25-footer, were launched and on scene within minutes of receiving the report from a bystander who witnessed the grounding.

However, shallow, choppy water conditions made reaching the troubled vessel impossible for the two response boats.

“After some careful coordination from our rescue crews, the three men were successfully removed from the vessel with the help of Petty Officer Tim Ryan who waded out to the vessel and assisted the three men to the Coast Guard rescue boats.” Mr. Kinsman said.

After being rescued, the men were assessed by Emerald Isle Fire and Rescue personnel and found to be uninjured.

According to Mr. Kinsman, the sailboat was left on scene.

“It was listing at about 60 degrees when we left the scene,” he said.

According to a representative from TowBoatUS in Morehead City, members of their crews were on scene early Thursday to attempt salvaging the vessel, but it wasn’t at the wreck site, and no sign of it elsewhere.